A relative of Richard Lyman, Sir John Lyman -both were descended from Thomas Lyman of Navistoke, County of Essex-was made Lord Mayor of London shortly before 1634. Sir John's estate of Northaw is awaiting rightful heirs in Chancery Court, Upper Norwood, Northam, England. Its estimated value is well over twenty million dollars.
See Volume 1, page 38a of the Doomsday Book for mentions of the name Lyman: "Lymen (sp) was once a hamlet of Kent County", "Record in Hampshire. The King's Land. Bosmore Hundred. 2 1/2 hides (250 acres) in Hayling Island. Leman (sp) held them in parcenary (partnership) of King Edward. Usurped by Harold who converted Soberton into a Royal manor. 150 A. plowland, 1 demense, 1 villein, 8 cottagers." John Lyman, a citizen and merchant of London 1314 to 1322, bought afterwards estates at Navistoke, Wethersfield, and Norton Munderville, County of Essex. Several generations of John Lymans lived at Navistoke, which brings us to their descendent, Thomas. About 1488 Thomas Lyman married Elizabeth Lambert who was an heiress and had large estates. They had a son Henry Lyman who was living in 1517. Henry's son John sold land at Ovyngton, Asshe, and Beauchamp St. Paul, county Essex and at Clare and Chylton, county Suffolk in 1523, having possession of his estate at Navistoke and Onger about 25 miles S.E. of London. Henry succeeded him and married Elizabeth and then Phillis (Scott). He died about 1609. His son, Richard Lyman, sold two "messuages" (dwellings with adjoining buildings and land) in 1629 at Norton, Mandeville, Parish of Onger, County of Essex. Richard brought his family to Boston in 1631 on the ship Lion. In 1635 he was one of the first settlers in Hartford, CT. His 22-Apr-1640 will, the first recorded in Hartford, is in Trumbull's Colonial Records and includes his inventory. The location of his house was on the south side of Buckingham Street between Main and Washington streets, the fifth lot from Main. The Lymans are related to the Roosevelts. FDR's mother was Sarah Delano and her mother was Katherine Robbins Lyman who is directly descended from this first Richard Lyman. The Lymans are related to Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe. (The Genealogy of the Lyman Family by Lyman Coleman, J. Munsell Co., Albany, 1872; page 26 has information on the estate of Northaw mentioned in the first paragraph above)
URL: Family Genealogy